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Actor Steve Coogan poses for a photo with staff at the Comfort Suites in Gettysburg. A production crew shot scenes for the movie "The Dinner" at the hotel Jan. 22.(Photo: Courtesy of the Comfort Suites in Gettysburg)

A Gettysburg hotel's view of a historic cemetery reportedly sealed the deal for a movie production crew looking for a filming location.

AWP Productions visited Gettysburg last week to shoot scenes for "The Dinner," a movie based on Herman Koch's novel of the same title starring Richard Gere and Steve Coogan. The actors, who play brothers in the movie, filmed scenes at Gettysburg National Military Park and Gettysburg Comfort Suites, which offers a view of Gettysburg National Cemetery.

"They acted just like you and I," said hotel front desk manager Francine Fosdick. "It wasn't the persona of 'I'm better than you,' or 'Please get out of my way.' They were just doing their job."

The film crew contacted the hotel about two months ago about possibly shooting scenes, and "the backdrop of the cemetery - that's what really hit them," Fosdick said. The film is an American remake of a movie shot in Amsterdam several years ago, she said.

"They thought that Gettysburg would be the perfect place to do it," she said.

When hotel staff learned Gere and Coogan were involved, they were gobsmacked.

"We were like, 'You've got to be kidding! You're in Gettysburg?'" Fosdick said. "It was just the talk of our hotel staff."

The crew prepped for their scenes Jan. 21 and spent the next day shooting until about 5 p.m.

The scenes filmed at the hotel include a shot of Gere walking down the hallway of the second floor, banging on a door and asking for Coogan, Fosdick said. They also filmed a scene outside the hotel of the actors in a vehicle and another scene in a hotel room.

Sales Manager Cindy Rohrbaugh said for the hotel room scene, the crew covered the walls with striped wallpaper and added old-fashioned lamps, red curtains and bed skirts, giving it a "more red, white and blue" appearance. The movie flashes back to the brothers visiting Gettysburg eight years ago, she said, adding that Gere plays some type of politician, and Coogan plays a history professor.

The hotel room scene included one of the actors busting a mirror, for which the crew reimbursed the hotel.

"They had the fake blood, the whole bit," Rohrbaugh said.

Prior to filming at the hotel, the crew shot scenes at Gettysburg National Military Park.

A film crew shoots footage near the McPherson Barn at the Gettysburg National Military Park Thursday evening. National Park Service spokesperson Katie Lawhon confirmed that AWP Productions filmed a scene for "The Dinner," a movie starring Richard Gere.(Photo: Courtesy of Leon Reed)

National Park Service spokesperson Katie Lawhon said the service issued a permit to AWP Productions for the crew to film a scene during which Gere and Coogan have a conversation regarding a book they are writing about the Civil War.

Rohrbaugh said in the film, the brothers don't like each other much.

"The reason they chose Gettysburg... they're playing on the brother-against-brother thing of the Civil War," Rohrbaugh said.